Fender benders in the cold snap are resulting in average bills of more than €2,000, according to industry experts
THE EXTREME weather may be having a detrimental impact on travel and absenteeism from work, but there’s another cost that will hit motorists right in the wallet: the costs of collisions and prangs during the last two weeks.
With any cold snap, especially one of the magnitude we have been experiencing recently, there is a spike in the number of low-speed accidents and shunts. According to Michael Horan of the Irish Insurance Federation: “Any time you get a cold snap, you will have an increase in low-speed collisions and an increase in claims. We had a similar situation last January with the cold snap we had then and the situation is similar to cold snaps we have had in the past.”
Paul Callan from Car Medic, a body-repair business, says his firm is dealing with lots of accident damage nationwide, to the extent that he won’t get out to complete a lot of the work until the weather eases off. “Our mobile unit can repair most damage on-site, at people’s homes or offices. It is very busy at the moment and 90 per cent of the work we are undertaking is bumper and panel damage.
“The average cost of the repairs we see in this type of weather are around €130 to €150 and this is generally much less than the excess under most insurance policies.” That means it comes directly out of the motorist’s pocket.
If damage is particularly bad, then many people have no choice but to claim off their insurance policies, and in this event you will generally need to get your claim assessed. Brian Greene is a consultant automotive engineer and claims assessor.
“There are a huge amount of claims being processed at the moment, but with the weather we can’t get to a lot of them still. It is exceptionally busy,” he says.
However, it would appear that to some degree, drivers have learned some lessons from the last spell of bad weather. “There hasn’t been a lot of suspension and engine damage this year; thankfully many people are using anti-freeze this year.”
Greene says that front and rear impacts make up the majority of damage, where people are losing control of the car and sliding into other vehicles. “People are still amazed that even with ABS or ESP that they are still having accidents. The point is that even with these safety features, if you are on sheer ice, you are still going to slide.”
He estimates that the average cost to put right the damage on the vehicles that he is accessing during this cold snap is between €2,000 and €3,000.
“A lot of the cars I am seeing haven’t even been serviced properly so there is a tendency for people to claim off the insurance rather than want to pay themselves,” he says. “Perhaps this is a sign of the times.”
Greene also suggests that anyone taking short cuts in their repairs is likely to lose out in the long run. Cutting corners now may well come back to haunt you when you try to sell the car on.
According to Shane Teskey of Motorcheck.ie, the decision on whether to claim under your insurance or have the damage fixed privately is usually made on the basis of cost. “For newer vehicles, the replacement of a damaged part is preferable to a repair as the impact on the car’s residual value is less compromised.
“Most insurance repairs will use new replacement parts and return the car to an ‘as new’ condition. However, claiming on your insurance could mean paying the policy excess and potentially losing a ‘no-claims bonus’. This is why many of us opt for the ‘back street’ repair which may not be of the same quality and, if obvious to a potential buyer, could reduce the value of the car.”
What is clear is that any collision due to the weather is likely to cost you somewhere down the line, whether it is directly out of your pocket to repair the damage or on your no-claims bonus in the future if you do claim. Even more reasons – if they were needed – to exercise extreme caution in these conditions.